Transcript Global Resurgence of Malaria

U.S. Department of Defense
Drug and Vaccine Development
LT Mazie Barcus
U.S. NAMRU 2
Jakarta, Indonesia
DoD Force Health Protection
Tenet
• “The most valuable, most complex weapons
system the U.S. Military will ever field are its
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines.”
• “New and emerging infectious diseases will pose a
rising global health threat and will complicate
U.S. and global security over the next 20 years.”
• “These diseases will endanger U.S. citizens at
home and abroad, threaten U.S. armed forces
deployed overseas, and exacerbate social and
political instability.”
Why is the DoD involved in
Infectious Disease Research?
• Up until WWII, deaths due to infectious
diseases outnumbered those due to combat
injuries
• Potential for naturally occurring infections
to play pivotal role in deployments
• Frequent deployments to geographic
regions with endemic infections
U.S. Army Hospital Admissions
During War
90
80
70
60
Wounds
Injuries
Diseases
50
40
30
20
10
0
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
Persian Gulf
Some DoD Infectious Diseases
Highlights
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1962: isolated rubella virus
1970: meningitis vaccine
1970: antimalarial mefloquine developed
1986: hepatitis A vaccine developed
1997: PCR-based detection of camplobacter
1997: oral camplobacter vaccine
1998: first induction of immune response against
malaria in humans with a DNA vaccine
• 2002: completed sequence of malaria parasite and
anopheline genome (Science and Nature)
Military Infectious Disease
Research Program (MIDRP)
• Development of products to protect deployed
warfighters against naturally-occurring infectious
diseases
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–
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Vaccines
Drugs
Vector control products
Diagnostic tests
• Peer-reviewed program for proposed research
• Advanced development managed by
USAMMDA and usually done with commercial
partners
Examples of 2001
Vaccine-related Research
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•
•
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•
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Malaria vaccines
Prevention of diarrheal diseases
Flavivirus vaccines
Malaria genome project
Hepatitis virus vaccines
Meningococcal vaccines
Vaccine delivery systems
Hemorrhagic fever vaccines
Rickettsial diseases
Prevention of HIV
Global Network of Research Facilities
OCONUS Medical Research Units
Central Coordinating Hub
Germany
WRAIR
NMRC
Egypt
Thailand
Kenya
Indonesia
Peru
Central Hub
• Joint Army-Navy Medical Research Institute
– Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC)
– Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
– 5 major research areas
• Infectious diseases
• Combat casualty care
• Operational medicine
• Chemical defense
• Biological defense
– USAMRIID (Frederick, MD) BSL4 research facility
• “To investigate disease threats and develop
effective medical countermeasures to protect and
sustain U.S. troops”
Research Support
• Active duty military, civilians
• Technology Transfer
– CRADAs, medical transfer agreements, patent licenses
• Universities, private industries, research foundations
• Civilian sector involvement
– Small Business Innovative Research Awards
– Dual-use Science and Technology Agreements
• Government and Non-government Organizations
– NIH (funding, HIV research, NIAID)
– CDC (disease outbreak investigations, vaccines)
– WHO (reference laboratories)
• Base for development of technology
Overseas Laboratories
• Testing of infectious disease technology
• Emerging, re-emerging, and naturally occurring
infectious disease surveillance
• Technology transfer to host nation
• U.S. Military, Foreign Service Nationals, local
contractors
• Convergence of purposes: diseases of military
importance are those of concern to host nation
public health
• Hosted by Ministry of Health or Military
U.S. Navy
NAMRU-2
Jakarta, Indonesia
NAMRU-3
Cairo, Egypt
NMRCD
Lima, Peru
U.S. Army
AFRIMS
Bangkok, Thailand
USAMRU-K
Nairobi, Kenya
USAMRU-E
Heidelberg, Germany
(behavioral sciences)
Summary
• Limited private sector involvement
• Convergence of purposes with military
• National Security
– Protection of U.S. Personnel abroad
– General global and economic development
Some Useful Websites
• nmrc.navy.mil
– Links to Navy overseas labs
• wrair.army.mil
– Links to Army overseas labs